Kingdom of the Souls
by TheBlackAngel07
Summary: Upon falling into The Underground, Frisk discovers Mettaton's soul. They absorb his soul upon request. After realizing the robot has amnesia, it's up to these two unlikely friends to traverse The Underground, bond with more unlikely friends, and discover what happened to Mettaton, and why.
1. The Discovery

The barrier rippled as something fell through it. A golden skinned adult human with a purple-striped blue shirt, khaki shorts, and brown boots descended into a slanted tunnel.

Frisk tumbled down, barely having time to brace themselves as they smacked against the side. Sticks and stones here and there scraped at their skin and clothes as they fell. They wanted to grab something along the side, but it wasn't worth exposing their face by reaching out a hand. The fell for what felt like ages.

Eventually, the tunnel ended, and they were thrown down towards a flat piece of ground with a small cluster of flowers. It look as if the flowers came up to greet them, their fragile stems collapsing under the weight of the nineteen year old human. They made a soft thud as Frisk smack into the ground. Petals and leaves briefly flew up into the air upon impact.

A groan escaped their mouth as Frisk shakily sat up. If that impact didn't leave a bruise, they wouldn't know what would. A hand rubbed their forehead. They could already feel a headache coming on.

Frisk looked up, trying to get a sense of the area they'd fallen into. If they were going to get out, they needed to get a sense of what was around them.

The tunnel itself looked to hold a number of old, partially withered roots and vines from what Frisk could see from their bed of flowers. And despite being so far underground, it shed quite the light onto this small bed of flowers.

Unfortunately, everything beyond this small garden of flowers was dark. And why wouldn't it be; it was a long way underground, and the tunnel only shed light in a small circle. It made this place feel so eerie. Something felt...magical?

The human stood up and looked around. Something in the darkness caught their eye. It was a pink floating light about the size of a baseball that looked to be emanating some sort of fire or plasma around itself. It floated there seemingly at eye level. Something about it made Frisk's hair stand on end.

Frisk took a step forward. The flowers crunched beneath. The small ball of light, as if alerted by the sound, began to drift forward as well. It almost looked like it got brighter, but Frisk couldn't tell. Slowly, it drifted forward until it was no less than six feet away from Frisk.

 _Human_.

Frisk froze. Who had said that? Was is their imagination? They started to shake as their body tensed.

 _Offer me your hand._

There it was again. Was it the pink light talking? Should they listen? What would happen if they didn't? Frisk didn't want to think what might befall them if they didn't do as they were told. They didn't know what mystical powers this small orb had, after all. If there was anything movies and videogames had taught them, it was never to underestimate foes, however small or cute. They held out one hand, palm facing up.

Lines began to sketch out beside the pink light, slowly forming the shape of a hand. Or more accurately, a glove. It reminded Frisk of someone sketching on a piece of paper. To their surprise, the glove moved, placing itself on Frisk's hand. Slowly, it closed around their palm.

It felt like a gate opened up. Frisk was barraged with feelings; betrayal, fear, horror, confusion, distrust, vengeance, hesitation, despair. At the same time, it felt as if they had been unwillingly opened up, exposed. Whatever this strange entity was, it could look right through them. It made the human very uncomfortable.

 _You're a human worth trusting,_ it said again, only much clearer in Frisk's head.

A startled Frisk exclaimed, "What?"

 _It's hard to explain, dear. Without a body, I'm very weak. I need a host to inhabit. And you, sweetheart, are worth inhabiting. Please, take my soul, and we'll discover the truth behind this terrible place._

Frisk was hesitant. How did they know they could trust this thing? It was possible they were lying. It was possible they were trying to trick Frisk. And yet, with what Frisk had felt coming from the other entity, Frisk didn't think they were lying, whatever they were. In fact, these feeling, combined with this thing's weakness, made Frisk feel incredibly bad for it.

The glove vanished. The human quietly opened their arms, fully willing to let this entity join them in their body. They could almost see the entity smile in glee as it promptly rushed into Frisk's chest, disappearing into them.

A strange sensation flooded their body. It felt like someone else was trying to get comfortable in their body. It felt lewd. Uncomfortable. At the same time, a searing pain crawled over Frisk's cheeks and wrists. And lastly, they felt glee. But it didn't feel like their own. No, it was from the other person that was now part of them.

The pain on their skin receded back into nothingness only to be replaced by a strange feeling in their hands. Without a command from Frisk, their head suddenly turned to look at their hands. The edges of their hands seemed to emit a purple ghastly essence. It made Frisk think of a flowing, purple, lacy cloth.

 _Oh my, it feels so good to be in a body again! Even if it is different from my last body._

 _Oh, I should introduce myself, shouldn't I? I am Mettaton, former STAR of The Underground!_ Frisk could feel his delight ebb. _I'm having trouble remembering everything, but I do remember that I was unjustly murdered by a skeleton named Papyrus. Weak and bodiless, I fled here to avoid being found by anyone else. And I remained here,_ _ **weak**_ _and_ _**alone**_ _until you came along, darling._

Well, that was certainly some interesting and frightening information to learn. Perhaps Frisk could lighten the mood a bit with a joke. "Really laying it on thick, aren't you?" They said aloud, even though Mettaton probably would have heard it as a thought.

 _Well EXCUSE me, I was an entertainment robot, darling._ The tone made Frisk think of him crossing his arms and sticking his nose in the air.

"I thought robots didn't have souls." They realized only after saying that that Mettaton might take offense to it. Luckily, he didn't.

 _I was a ghost before I got my robot body. But don't you dare tell any monsters we come across; I will not have my audience knowing that!_

Frisk's eyes widened. Their hands began to trembled. "Monsters?"

 _Oh, darling, most of them aren't dangerous._ He could feel hatred flare up from Mettaton. Despite that, he kept his voice surprisingly level and calm. _Except Papyrus._ Frisk hugged their arms. After already proving himself such a flamboyant and dramatic character, such hatred from hadn't been expected from him. And so quiet about it, too. It scared Frisk more than the thought of monsters.

Apparently Mettaton picked up on this fear. His hate evaporated as he tried to console Frisk. _Oh, my dear, I didn't mean to scare you. There's no need for you to fear me, really. You have such a kind heart...And a strong soul, too! I would_ _ **never**_ _hurt you, sweetheart. And besides, the only way I could is-_

Mettaton cut himself off. Frisk felt a flash of shock and realization from him. _Say, darling, do you have any questions?_

Frisk was glad for the change of topic. They looked up into the darkness. "How do I get out of here?"

 _The exit is at the capital, on the other end of the cavern. You'll need to get past our queen. Past there is the barrier, the spell that keeps monsters trapped underground. Normally I might say it was completely undeserved that such lovely creatures were so unfairly locked down here, but now I think you humans had a good reason to do so._

 _Alphys told me-_

"Wait, humans locked everyone down here?" Frisk cocked their head to the side.

 _Yes. Thousands of years ago, humans chased monsters underground and seven of their wizards used their power to seal everyone underground._

 _Now, this seal, according to Alphys, will only let someone with the strength of at least one human soul and one monster soul pass through. Now, since you have mwah, you can pass through once you get past the queen._

"You keep saying queen. Do you guys have a king, too?"

 _We did._

When he didn't continue, Frisk dug a bit. "What happened to him?"

For a time, Mettaton was silent. It felt like he was thinking. And then, there was a tinge of confusion. _I can't remember._

"What about when you died? Do you remember much about what happened then?" Maybe someone had injured Mettaton and that had damaged whatever held his memories.

 _I can't seem to remember much about that, either._ Frisk could feel that he was forcing his fury down. _Oh deary me, it seems I've forgotten so much! If_ _ **only**_ _something could jog my memory!_

A faint sigh escaped the human's lips. "Well, it looks like we really will be discovering a lot about this world together."

A sound caught their attention. It sounded like a gremlin's laugh. Frisk turned towards it. The two barely caught something gold vanish from sight. They felt uneasy about this, as did Mettaton. "I guess we better get moving."


	2. A Tutorial

Mettaton and Frisk walked towards where the golden thing had vanished. They only needed a moment to adjust their eyes to the darkness once they stepped out of the ring of light before they noticed a hallway. With nowhere else to go, the two walked through it.

Frisk glanced at the dark mud brick around them as they walked. "Does this look at all familiar to you?"

No, it doesn't. I passed right through the cavern walls when I fled here. Frisk could feel him shiver. Not fun, by the way.

Frisk ran a hand along the wall, causing small bits of dirt to crumble off as they did so. It was an interesting contrast to the tough sides of caverns they'd seen before. So fragile, so...dirty. How odd. Mettaton had said that monsters lived in this cavern, though. Had the monsters come here and built up the walls?

Frisk didn't get a chance to ask Mettaton. The moment they stepped out of the hallway, they were greeted by another ring of light. In that light sat a cute, smiling flower. They looked so adorable, what with their golden petals and bright smile. The human wanted to walk right up and pet them.

But their legs wouldn't move. Again, they felt another emotion that wasn't theirs. This time, distrust. Frisk, honey, I know what you're thinking. But I'm telling you right now, something bothers me about this flower. Something is not right. I wouldn't trust anything he says.

The human huffed. They could already tell there were going to be problems in the future seeing as now they both had control over Frisk's body, at least to some degree. But, for Mettaton's sake, they would be cautious. "Then you tell me if they're lying," Frisk whispered back.

Fair enough, Mettaton replied, finally letting Frisk walk up to the flower.

"Howdy," the flower greeted Frisk once they were close enough. "I'm Flowey, Flowey the flower!" Frisk realized from the voice that Mettaton had been correct in assuming the flower to be a boy. Flowey hummed a moment. "Say, you look familiar."

That caught them both off guard. Familiar? But Frisk had never fallen down before. How could any monster possibly know them?

Flowey continued, offering an even brighter smile. "Well, I'll give ya the basics!" He swung his head side-to-side. Suddenly, Frisk felt something materialize against their chest. They looked down. Underneath their sweater, something glowed red and pink. What was it?

As if reading their mind, Flowey said, "You see that? That red edged with pink? It's a heart! That heart is your soul, the culmination of your beings!"

He's not wrong there, Mettaton added reluctantly.

"Now, your soul starts off weak, but will grow strong if you gain a lot of L-V! What's L-V stand for? Why, LOVE!" An alarm went off in Mettaton's mind. "LOVE is shared through little white...friendliness pellets! Get ready, catch as many as you can!"

Frisk, he's lying! Don't you dare touch those pellets! They straightened up at Mettaton's sudden exclamation. Something was off. Why was he suddenly so terrified? Before they could say anything, little white pellets were already being thrown at them. Something about them didn't look right. Frisk obeyed Mettaton's command, and stepped to the side.

Flowey didn't look pleased. His smile started to fall. "Hey...you missed them. Let's try that again, 'kay?" Once again, Flowey launched white pellets at Frisk. And once again, Frisk stepped aside. And once again, Flowey's smile fell. "Hey! Is this a joke? Are you two braindead? Run. INTO. THE. BULLETS!"

Frisk grimaced. Bullets. They were bullets that he was throwing. Not pellets at all, much less pellets of friendship. Flowey was trying to kill them. Frisk didn't need to be told again to dodge out of the way a third time.

Suddenly, Flowey's smile looked a lot less friendly. His eyes widened, and a few sharp teeth decorated his mouth. "You know what's going on here, don't you?"

Frisk could feel Mettaton struggling with something. Frisk, I'm going to need your help!

"You just wanted to see me suffer!"

Help with what? Frisk thought back, panicked. They could feel his desperation building.

Suddenly, they were surrounded by a ring of white bullets. They began to close in. Flowey laughed. "DIE."

Frisk, your soul! Your SOUL, darling! Soul? Their soul! That's right, it had materialized. Frisk instinctively clutched at their soul. They had to get through would get through this. They were determined not to fail here, at the start.

Energy flooded through them. Unearthly bolts of electricity fell from above, surrounding Frisk and turning all the pellets that they touched to ash. They crackled and sparked. The sound reminded Frisk of a bunch of computers shorting out.

As soon as they vanished, a ball of electricity formed in front of their hand. But it didn't look like normal electricity. The center was a standard white-ish yellow, but the edge of it was red. It, too, crackled and sparked.

Hand forward, darling! Frisk looked up at Flowey, hesitating for just a moment. They then pushed their hand out.

The ball flew straight at the flower, whose expression changed from confusion to horror. It glided just over his petals as he ducked into the ground, fleeing. It looked like he was screaming, but the sound from the electricity ball blocked out whatever noise Flowey made. He didn't pop back up. Frisk touched their chest again. Their soul wasn't there. The electric ball dissipated in the darkness.

At a loss, the human walked up to the spot Flowey had just been. There was very loosely packed earth. Faint screaming could be heard underneath, which made Frisk realize that Flowey must be digging a tunnel to safety.

"What was all of that?" they asked in a confused tone

That, my dear Frisk, Mettaton began, sounding rather exhausted, was a fight. It happens when someone approaches you with hostile intentions. For humans, their soul materializes when they enter a one.

"And you know that how?"

I've heard stories from those that fought humans.

"And what about monsters?"

Monsters are different. Their bodies are very closely tied to their souls. Instead of their souls appearing, they turn a faint grey.

Frisk nodded. This sure was interesting, and something they'd never experienced before. Why did it work that way down here, but not on the surface?

They looked up. In the darkness, they could see another doorway that had been behind Flowey. "I guess we should continue on," Frisk said, more to themselves than to Mettaton.

You go on, sweetheart. I feel perfectly exhausted, so I'm going to check out for the moment. And just like that, they felt their connection to Mettaton vanish. That wasn't good. He knew vital information about this place. How could they get through without him?

"Mettaton?" they called out, panic rising. He didn't answer. Frisk hoped he was just asleep, and not actually gone. He was their hope for getting through alive.

He said they could go forward. Maybe Frisk should listen. Mettaton probably wanted them to go on and explore. It couldn't hurt, could it? Mettaton had said most monsters weren't dangerous, after all. Even if Flowey had just attacked them.

Frisk continued forward, trying to push down their rising dread. The passage through the door was surprisingly well lit with torches. Or, they looked like torches at least. They could be anything, considering what Frisk just saw.

The torches revealed purple stone stairs that lead to an archway made of violet bricks. Beside the archway looked to be windows to either side. A few vines crawled on the wall. Between the two staircases lay a bed of red leaves. The look of it made Frisk smile. It resembled a silly face. Their footsteps echoed as they treked up the stairs.

Through the archway was well-lit room, also lit by torches. It was a small room made of violet bricks with a door on the far wall, some buttons on the floor, and level and plaque beside the door.

Frisk walked up to the door. It wouldn't budge when they tried to open it. Odd. They looked at the plaque on the wall. It read, "ONLY THE FEARLESS MAY PROCEED. BRAVE ONES, FOOLISH ONES, BOTH WALK NOT THE MIDDLE ROAD". What did that mean? Frisk looked back to the buttons. Don't walk the middle road? Don't walk the middle road…

Don't hit the buttons in the middle. Frisk walked over to the buttons and stepped on all but the middle two. They looked back to the door. Nothing. Did they need to pull the lever? They walked over and pulled it down.

The door opened. Through it, Frisk could see a much larger room of brick with a few grey frog-like creatures wandering around. From where they were, the human could see a sign and another plaque on the wall. On the floor, there was a lighter colored path leading to the right. They didn't want to go in, but there was no other way to go. Besides, maybe they could hold their own without Mettaton. If he really was gone, they'd have to.

They walked into the room up to the sign. It read, "PRESS Z TO READ SIGNS". Frisk looked around. Z? What Z? All they could see were the few frog creatures walking around. And two bridges over water. And a few levers on the wall.

They then chose to read the plaque behind the sign. It simply said, "STAY ON THE PATH". Well, that was good enough for Frisk. They walked back on the light colored section of the floor and followed it to the right. The few creatures in the room disregarded them to their relief.

When they got to the end, however, they noticed a bunch of spikes in their path. Was this a puzzle, too, like the last room? Maybe they could step over the spikes, but what if they slipped? They grimaced at the thought of what would happen.

So, they backtracked to the levers on the wall. They tried to pull the closest one. But it wouldn't budge. They tried harder. Still, it wouldn't move.

They let that lever go and tried the one next to it. That one, while difficult, Frisk managed to pull down. The human then went on to pull down the third lever. There was a clicking sound. A glance to the exit showed that the spikes were gone. Only two levers had needed pulling. Perhaps the other was a decoy. Either way, Frisk took the opportunity to walk out.

The next room was fairly bare. It was a small room with nothing more than a dummy and ivy on the walls. The path lead to a door on the right.

Frisk stared at the dummy. The dummy stared back. With a smile, they walked up and pet the dummy. They could have sworn they saw it move. Was the dummy a monster?

The human didn't think on it too long before heading to the next room. The next room had a strange zig-zag pattern on the floor. There was a doorway to the right. It led to a small hallway with a plaque on the left wall that read, "THE WESTERN ROOM IS THE EASTERN ROOM'S BLUEPRINT".

Frisk rubbed their chin for a moment. What did that mean? Blueprint? Was the next room modeled after that one?

A wet slapping sound interrupted their thoughts. Frisk looked to their left to see a frog creature hopping close. They felt something against their chest again. A fight? No, no no, they couldn't fight without Mettaton present. They didn't have anything to fight with. They hadn't even a stick.

Frisk turned and fled to the next room. They skidded to a stop when they saw a bunch of spikes. They lined the bridge, and only way to the other side. To the exit. How could they possibly get away?

They barely glanced back when they saw the frog's cheeks puff up. Little winged particles that resembled flies flew from its mouth. They smacked directly into Frisk's face, causing the human to panic and lose their balance. They expected to be impaled.

They weren't. They landed on cold hard metal. Frisk looked below them. The spikes had retracted. Did they retract in the pattern the other room's path had been? They got up. The frog creature looked angry as it hopped closer. God, they hoped this theory was right.

The human began to run using the pattern that had been on the eastern room's floor. To their relief, the spikes did retract in that pattern.

They didn't stop to see if the frog was still following them as they got to the other side. Fear drove them on. They didn't pay attention to the next room's length or just how overgrown its walls were. Frisk kept running. They ran until they passed a pillar and approached a doorway.

Frisk skidded to a stop just past the doorway, forcing themselves to breathe. As they leaned against the wall, they listened. Nothing but their own breathing, and the faint sound of rushing water. A hand went to their chest. No soul. They were safe. They had gotten away from that threat.

A sigh escaped their lips as they straightened up and looked around the the right, there were two left piles and a hallway leading onwards. In front against the far wall was a much larger leaf pile. And to the left was another door onwards, presumably where the sound of water was coming from. And-oh gods, another frog thing.

The frog, however, merely sat there, minding its own business. Once it noticed Frisk, it lifted a paw and waved. The hand on Frisk's chest tightened. No soul. This frog wasn't hostile? How strange.

Frisk took a step forward, and nearly fell over. Pain shot through their ankle. They must have stepped on it wrong when running and not noticed. Or possibly agitated an injury from when they fell. The frog tilted its head in confusion, but didn't move. It then pointed to the room behind it. Maybe there was something in there that could help.

Frisk limped into the other room, greeted with the sight of a candy bowl on a pedestal, and flowing water to either side of the path. And, as usual, ivy growing on the far wall. The human walked over, taking a look at the sign taped to the bowl. "MONSTER CANDY. PLEASE TAKE ONE."

So they did. Opening the wrapper, they popped the small ball-shaped sweet into their mouth. It had an interesting flavor, kind of like grape candy. But not licorice. As they chewed, they began to notice a strange-but not unpleasant-sensation on their foot.

As they ate, they decided to glance around the small room. Something about this particular room felt pleasant.

They looked at the water. It made them shiver a little. And they noticed something; the reflection of the brick wall and torches in it. That was right, water was reflective. Perhaps now they should see why everyone said they looked familiar. The human took a few careful steps towards the water.

What they saw made them reel back and nearly choke on their candy. Lines were etched into their cheeks that made it look like there were metals plates on either side, and their brown eyes now had a pink hue to them. They didn't look human anymore.

Frisk screamed.


	3. The Ruins

_Frisk, darling! What's wrong?!_ Frisk suddenly felt a rush of worry and fear as Mettaton spoke. It seemed he hadn't left for good after all. Still they trembled, one hand on the pillar that held the candy, as their tried to steady their breathing. They wanted to respond, but they felt too out of breath.

"Water," they managed between breaths, straightening up.

 _What? What about the water, darling? Did something try and drown you?_ That thought made them both uneasy. Nevertheless, Frisk shook their head. _Then what happened? Why did you scream?_

Frisk gulped and walked over towards the water. They leaned over the edge, staring into their reflection. Those lines on their face, they looked so unearthly. So surreal. A hand traced one. It felt like a line that had just barely been carved into a plank of wood. Those were grooves in their skin. And those eyes, that pink hue.

They felt a sense of realization from Mettaton. _So that's why Flowey said we looked familiar. Absorbing my soul didn't just result in the change of your hands and soul, but your face, sweetheart! I **would** say it's an improvement, but I don't think even my face could make yours look any cuter._ There was a pause. _Exactly how long have you been wandering? I feel like I barely got any sleep._

Frisk looked up from the water. "You were sleeping?"

 _Yes, but that's beside the point._

Frisk thought. They certainly hadn't been exploring long. It couldn't have been more than an hour.

They could hear him sigh. _Let's keep going, darling. I'll sleep more later._

Frisk hummed, swallowing their candy. They shifted their weight. Then, the human looked down in confusion. Their ankle felt better. Why was that?

 _Is something wrong, darling?_

"My ankle hurt before, but now it feels better. And all I did was-"

 _-Eat that candy? Well, hon, monster food is made of energy. It'll fix injuries if you eat it. How much it'll fix depends on how well made the food is. Unless, of course, you're a robot, in which case you'll need to be repaired. But you don't have to worry about that!_

Frisk absently touched a finger to their chin. That made about as much sense as everything else they'd seen.

The two walked back out of the room to see the frog thing still standing beside the door. They could hear Mettaton squeal in delight. _A froggit! Oh my, how cute!_

Frisk, however, frowned. How did Mettaton know what this thing was, and why did he find it cute? One had tried to attack Frisk earlier. They were still surprised this froggit thing hadn't tried to attack them yet. They sighed, walking past it.

 _Wait,_ Mettaton chimed in. _You should talk to it. Monsters tend to gossip, and it's often valuable information about things that are going on._ He added more sarcastically, _Because when you live in a giant sealed cave, there's nothing else to gossip about._

"But one attacked me earlier."

They could feel just how off guard that caught Mettaton. _Attacked you? But monsters aren't hostile by nature. Maybe something was bothering the poor dear. Try anyways; if anything happens, you can run._

The human shook their head in defeat before they turned to face the froggit. "Here goes nothing," they murmured before approaching. The froggit stared at them. They offered a wave, trying to smile in greeting. "Hi."

The response was a lot of croaking.

 _I think...I think I can understand what it's saying, darling._ He paused. _It's saying that if a monster no longer wants to fight you, show it mercy. That monsters are just irritable, and it would mean a lot if you spared them...And that they've heard weird sounds outside the ruined doors?_ Mettaton thought for a moment. _Oh, the RUINS doors!_

"What are the ruins doors?" The froggit croaked, but Mettaton didn't wait for it to speak before he began to explain.

 _The doors to The Ruins. This dusty, overgrown place used to be where monsters all lived. Until...Oh, what was it Alphys told me? Anyways, the doors are at the end of The Ruins. You'll need to get through this place to reach them._

"Mettaton, are you sure that's a good idea?" If there were weird sounds outside the door, maybe it was best to stay in The Ruins and avoid getting too hurt.

 _There's no other way out, Frisk. We can't climb up the hole you fell down; it's too steep and loose._

They nodded. Right. They had to get out. And find the truth about what happened down here as well.

The froggit croaked again. _It's saying that it wants to give you a heads up on how monsters might approach you, darling._

It wanted to help? How did it intend to do that? "Uh, okay."

Suddenly, there was something against their chest. Frisk reached up. Their soul. Oh no, was it going to attack again?

More croaking. Mettaton was quiet for a moment as the froggit droned on. _It says that monsters might approach you like this because they're upset. Not at always you, just upset in general. They may try to communicate with magic, or take their frustration out on you with straight up magical attacks, darling._

Another pause as he collected his thoughts. _Now, sweetheart, you can do a few things. You can fight back, try to reason with a monster through words or actions, run away, or eat to try and heal yourself. But you'd better be quick at eating if you try that! Now, if you notice a monster doesn't want to fight, you can lower your guard and say you don't want to fight before parting ways._

Frisk nodded. "Okay, I think I got it."

The froggit croaked before spitting out a few little flies. The human froze up at the sight. The flies buzzed around erratically, some flying towards Frisk, others flying towards the walls. The human shuffled between the flies, cowering from them. Those things had hurt last time. A lot.

All the flies vanished after a few seconds, and Frisk was left with the froggit just looking up at them. All it did was blink, as if waiting.

 _I'd suggest complimenting it. Magic can be very hard to pull off. And very exhausting, mind you._ Frisk was reminded just how much defending them earlier had exhausted Mettaton.

They nodded, shakily. "N-nice magic you p-pulled off." The froggit smiled with a slight blush. When it did nothing else, Frisk continued. "A-and I don't want to fight anymore." The froggit croaked happily and tossed Frisk a small bag of coins it had been sitting on, which the human promptly put in their pocket. They guessed it was a reward for deciding to spare them. Or maybe just for a job well done.

Frisk thanked the froggit, kissed their forehead, and began to continue walking.

The next room they entered had a pathway with a rock in the middle, some spikes in front of the exit, and a sign off to the left. The first thing Frisk did was go check the sign, which read, "THREE OUT OF FOUR ROCKS SUGGEST YOU PUSH THEM." That made them tilt their head.

 _Oh, hon. Some monsters are rocks. Actual rocks._

"And how does that work?"

 _How nearly everything else down here works. Magic!_

Frisk just stared. Not even at the sign. Just at the space in front of them. If only Mettaton were physical so they could slap him for that answer.

 _Hey! Don't give me that look! That's the truth of it! Monsters are mostly magic, after all._

Shaking their head, the human turned towards the rock. Now they saw there was a little divet in the ground around it with a button behind the rock. Without even a second thought, Frisk walked over to the rock and pushed it on to the button. The spikes receded into the ground. They smiled proudly. That puzzle was solved.

Walking into the next room revealed a short segment of a hall before being confronted with a lot of cracks in the floor. Oh dear. Frisk tried to step on part of it, only for the ground to give way and drop them onto a bed of orangish red leaves below in what Frisk could only assume was a basement.

They looked up. There was a pathway through the leaf piles despite there being nothing at the end of the room. Behind them was the door to some sort of crawl space. What was the point of this room?

 _I'll give you one go at this puzzle, darling, before I solve it for you._

Frisk nodded, thinking. A path through the leaves to nothing. Cracks that lead to this basement. They were pretty sure they had the idea.

They got up, dusted themselves off, and headed through the crawlspace back upstairs. Then, they approached the cracks again. Gingerly, they set a foot on where they recalled the path below being. The floor creaked, but didn't break. They placed their other foot on the floor in front. No breaking. Frisk smiled. They got this puzzle.

They shimmied their way across the floor, hesitating around only one corner. Frisk got to the end without even breaking one section of floor this time.

The next room was one with three rocks in it, a small bridge over some water, and spikes on the bridge. The human easily pushed two of these rocks on to their buttons.

The third, not so much. The moment Frisk touched it, the rock spoke. "Hey, what're you doing, thinkin' you can push me around?" Frisk's eyes widened.

They felt their brow furrow, and heard themselves speak. "Excuse you, dear. We wouldn't push you if we didn't need to, but if you're not on that button, we can't get past those spikes. We'd appreciate it if you could sit on that button for us." Right, Mettaton had some control over their body.

The rock grumbled. "Alright, alright, pumpkin. But this is a lot of work you're givin' me." It grated against the ground as it shuffled over to the button. The moment the button clicked, the spikes receded into the bridge.

Frisk strode over the bridge into a wide hallway with a plate of cheese. They walked over to it. It looked like it was still edible, and boy were they starting to feel hungry. _Don't even try, darling,_ Mettaton commented. _That cheese just LOOKS like it's stuck to the table from how long it's been there._ The human frowned, but passed by the cheese. Mettaton was probably right.

Next was a rather standard room...except that there was a white ghostly thing sitting on a bed of leaves. Frisk approached with caution. It looked like a translucent white sheet. Whatever it was, it was making a funny sound.

 _It's a ghost that's saying 'Z' repeatedly, darling._

So, they weren't sleeping then? Then why say Z? They should probably try and go around the ghost. Frisk knelt down on the leaves and reached out to try and move them aside. Suddenly, the ghost stood up and blinked. Frisked felt their soul materialize. Was this a fight? How could they possibly fight a ghost?

There was a sudden wave of emotions from Mettaton. _Frisk, don't you DARE hurt that ghost!_

The ghost blinked, tear falling from their eyes. Those tears sizzled on the leaves below. The human cringed at the sound.

"Oh...hi," the ghost began. "i'm sorry but...i'd like to be alone…" Tears fell from their face, but this time they headed towards Frisk's feet. The human hopped back to avoid them. Then they looked back at the ghost. Why did Mettaton care so much for this ghost? Did he even know their name?

The ghost stopped crying. "i really don't feel like fighting...please go…i'll be fine..."

Frisk frowned. What was this ghost so upset about?

 _Oh, Blooky, don't be sad!_

"Blooky?" Frisk echoed.

That caught the ghost's attention. They perked up for a moment before looking down. "oh...someone i knew used to say that...oh…." More tears began to fall from their eyes. Frisk had to hop around like a panicking chicken to avoid all those magical tears. The bricks below hissed as tears splashed against them.

 _Napstablook! Their name is Napstablook! And please, try to cheer them up!_

Frisk offered a bittersweet smile. "Hey, it's okay, Napstablook."

Their tears stopped. They looked back up at Frisk, eyes a little wider with curiosity. "oh…?"

"Yeah, everything'll be fine." Then they stopped. Explaining everything would just confuse them. They should cheer up Napstablook another way. Maybe a joke would help. "Hey, do you know what a penguin is?"

The ghost shook their head. Frisk continued. "They're little birds that are white on one side, black on the other. Anyone, one day, two are sitting on a block of ice. One says to the other, 'Hey, we look like we're wearing tuxedos.' The other responds, 'Who says we're not?'"

For a moment, Napstablook didn't respond. Then, they gave a very quiet laugh. "oh, i want to show you something…" They began to cry again, but the tears floated up. Slowly, their tears formed a top hat. "i call it 'dapper blook'."

Mettaton squealed. _They look simply ADORABLE!_

Frisk clapped. "It's lovely," they responded with a friendly smile.

"oh gee...i came here to get away from everyone because they're all being so mean...but i met someone really nice." They paused. "oh, i'm in your way aren't i? i'm sorry...i'll go." Without waiting for a response, the ghost turned and phased through the wall.

Frisk took a breath, and went to take a step. Suddenly, it felt as if the weight of their exploration had caught up with them all at once. Their stomach ached with hunger. Their legs and back groaned with pain. Their tongue felt dry with thirst. But they had to keep going.

Their foot touched the leaves. Their legs felt positively exhausted, shaking with the need for a rest. Their vision swam.

They managed a second step. Or was it their mind that needed a break? They could hear someone calling out to them, but they couldn't distinguish who it was, or what they were saying. It felt like they were on another planet.

A third step. Everything looked blurry. Maybe they should close their eyes. That would clear up their vision.

When they opened them again, they were standing in front of a large purple house and a bare felt something in their hands, and something else draped across their right arm. Another thing was in their pocket opposite the money bag.

 _Ah, Frisk, darling! You're awake! I hope you don't mind, I took the liberty of advancing for you and picking up a few things along the way._

"I fell asleep?" The human glanced around. Mettaton wasn't wrong about advancing; this looked almost nothing like the room they'd just been in. It was much wider and taller, and the path was much wider.

 _Yes, you did. Oh dear, you were just exhausted! You nearly collapsed! You're lucky I'm here with you, you know. You could've gotten hurt. Or worse, dirtied your hair._ How had they fallen asleep, but still been able to progress with Mettaton controlling them? Was it like earlier when Mettaton had slept, but Frisk was still able to move?

Frisk looked down at their hands. In them was a large purple pitcher with a single lavender stripe around the middle. A spider dangled off the lip of it, and inside was a dark mixture. Draped over their right arm was a dull red ribbon. _Oh, I bought some Spider Cider from the spider bake sale. The spiders were a little mean, but they gave me what I paid for without a hassle._

"Spider Cider?" Frisk echoed.

 _Yes! Made by spiders, for spiders, of spiders!_

" **Of** spiders? You expect me to drink this?"

 _Of course! Those spiders worked very hard on that, Frisk. But I only expect you to drink it when you need to._ They grimaced. Their stomach growled, but they didn't think this was the best thing to eat right now.

Without another comment, they looked up and walked past the tree into the house.

The house looked nice, what with its inviting tans and golds, shelves full of books, and plant pots here and there. Yet the thin layer of dust collecting on the wood floor said that this house had been abandoned for a while. The two stepped inside. The floor creaked. Compared to the rest of The Ruins, this house looked surprisingly well taken care of.

"Mettaton? Do you know if someone used to live here or not?" Frisk asked as they began to head for a hallway.

He was quiet for a moment. Frisk could feel curiosity from him, then frustration. _I can't seem to remember, Frisk. I wasn't one to listen to stories about The Ruins. All I can recall is that someone left the castle, someone important._

That caught Frisk's attention. They stopped. "Who was it?"

 _I think it was either the king, or the queen. But that's all I can remember._

How interesting, Frisk thought as they continued walking. So Mettaton couldn't remember what happened to their king, and one of the royals had left. Had it been the king who'd left?

Gripping the pitcher's handle firmly in one hand, Frisk opened a door in the hall they'd walked in to. They blinked a few times to clear up their vision. Before them lay a small bedroom with a cabinet, two boxes of stuff, some stuffed animals, and a lamp. "A kid's bedroom?" They stepped inside, then seemed to think better of it. "Maybe we should keep going."

 _Frisk, we might as well rest here. We're both exhausted._

"But what if the king's been here? What if he comes back and catches us? Or someone else does?"

Frisk could hear him sigh. _That's a risk we have to take, my little shooting star. Trust me when I say the king won't hurt us. As for others, well, we can't just keep going forever. We have to sleep, and we might as well do so while there's a bed in front of us._

They yawned. Mettaton was right. They would both fall asleep eventually. And even if they didn't, their body would give out. Might as well rest now before something too dangerous happened. Frisk walked over to the bed and sat down on it, promptly kicking off their shoes. They then lifted up the cider. It wasn't an ideal treat, that was for sure, but maybe they should drink some of it so they didn't go to bed on an empty stomach. Frisk didn't want to wake up weak, after all.

Tilting the pitcher back, they sipped it. The cider tasted like ripe blueberries with quite a sour note, and a more subtle bitter note as well. For being made of spiders, it wasn't that bad. Two more sips before they set the pitcher on the floor. Frisk then tossed the ribbon beside their shoes, and laid down.


End file.
